Turbulence

The Moon wanes over a number of tensions this week.  It is not so much about a single celestial event, as much as it is a cluster of factors.   First, Mercury’s retrograde station on Saturday (14^th) overshadows the week, making clarity a rare commodity in the midst of a period where it would be most helpful.  Second, the Sun spends the entire week in a square with Saturn, giving it a potentially unpleasant heaviness.  The third, and perhaps most important factor, is the T-Square between Uranus, Pluto and Mars, which tightens throughout the week, pressurizing things and triggering a small crisis or two.  This volatile configuration is additionally troubled by Uranus’ retrograde station on the 12^th.

Not a terribly auspicious week, but it could be a rather productive one.  There is energy in abundance, but chaos to contend with.

Uranus Retrograde

Uranus stations retrograde on Thursday, July 12^th.    e same notes as the Moon’s conjunction with Uranus a few days earlier.  Uranus’ retro station calls for us to turn back from the periphery of the radical, to instead consider the changes and breaks with the norm we’ve already made.  For the duration of Uranus’ retrograde phase (Jul. 12th-Dec.13th), put new experiments on hold while you consolidate the changes you’ve already made.

Mercury Retrograde in Leo: Mirror, Mirror

Mercury stations retrograde in Leo on Saturday, the 14^th. On the surface, Mercury will be concerned primarily with ruining cell phones, sending emails to the wrong address, messing up plans, complicating schedules and sowing miscommunications.

In addition to dealing with a few concrete annoyances, Mercury’s retrograde through Leo brings up questions of identity.  Change is in the air like smoke from a forest fire.  Old masks lie half burnt in the fire.  People question the mirrors of past and the future.  Who is the one I see?

The issue here is how to resolve the contradiction between past and future images of oneself.  That point between is the present, the place of change. A bridge must be built, an understanding of self that includes yet transcends what was and will be.

These changing winds blow the ego’s fires in unexpected directions.  Strange topics catch fire as they are pulled unexpectedly into very personal processes.  This is to be expected and to be forgiven to some degree… yet beware, for the drama llama rides hard and fast through the empyrean these weeks, a skyborne terror of myth and dark legend.  If you see the glint of his pitborn eyes or feel the woolly madness of coat- flee!  For the sake of all that is yet holy in the world- flee!

On a less esoteric level, Mercury’s time retrograde in Leo highlights questions of leadership.  Some power structures are crumbling, others arising.  Most are in flux.  This mutation of hierarchies makes the issue of leadership an important one.  Who should lead, and how?  These questions are pertinent in many places, at many levels, whether it is the OCCUPY movement, Egypt’s newly elected government, or the American race for the iron throne. These questions are an echo of the more personal issues of identity described above- who is the one who leads us?  What is the name of the person or principle at the center?

As organizations and their titular heads grapple with these issues, we the people and the viewers can expect some superbly hilarious gaffes to come singing out of political leaders’ mouths.  Thank you, life, for all of the consolation prizes.

T-Party: Uranus, Pluto and Mars

This week and next contain a particularly nasty t-square between Uranus, Pluto and Mars.  This configuration is for many a call to action on multiple fronts, a great and stressful busy-ness.  In particular, it is those tasks which are required to participate in the transformations trying to occur within people’s lives.  Yet resistance to change offers no respite, for to oppose these currents requires even more energy than to try and keep up.

This one will spin up a variety of small storms, and shorten tempers considerably, making it likely to oversee squabbles in both the micro- and macro- cosms.

This potential for squabbles is exaggerated by this T-square’s overlap with Mercury’s retrograde station.  Delicate points put poorly easily ignite shortened fuses.

Do your best to manage strong reactions this week, for there is much to do, and very little of it involves petty conflicts.

Sun Square Saturn: Stay the Course

While Mercury prepares for an inversion and a trio of planets squabble, the sensitive Sun in Cancer approaches a square to Saturn in Libra.  Though some may chaffe under the hard, duty-bound nature of Saturn’s influence, this aspect may be the week’s saving grace.  For in Saturn’s Libran exaltation there lies the unavoidable truth of balance, the near-invincible wisdom of equilibrium in all things.  There is also the principle of duty to one’s life- the deep obligation to one’s destiny, which is one of the few principles that transcends mere comfort.

Discipline and self control have a poor reputation in the post-modern west.  Our heroic narratives are those of liberation and pleasure.  Yet liberation does not free us from the work inherent in the execution our own will, and pleasure is a blessing, but abandons us when we desire it most.  When grace flees, discipline remains and duty endures.

Use this week’s uncomfortable touch with Saturn to anchor yourself to what you really want and the work it will take to achieve it.